Monday, May 31, 2010

...to all of the men and women who have given so unselfishly of themselves to serve our country. Because of them, we have our freedom today.

For the families of those whose loved ones have served – past and present – our family thanks you for all of your sacrifices, too.

In memory of our beloved son, Senior Airman, Jordan Roberts – Fireman, United States Air Force. Thank you, son, for your service to our country and for all of the sacrifices that you made. We love you and miss you like crazy. ((hugs)) and butterfly kisses…..

Thursday, May 27, 2010

When I was a teenager, I use to babysit a little boy who loved to draw. I enjoyed babysitting him because he was quite the little artist and loved to draw little bunny figures with fat bellies and big pointy ears. We called them bunny estates and we would make up stories of the bunnies as we went along. Though my drawing skills were very elementary, it was a lot of fun!

Babysitting him was also a treat because his mother, Mrs. Barr, made THE VERY BEST chocolate chip cookies – EVER!! Oh what a delightful sound it was when she would tell me that there were fresh chocolate chip cookies in the cookie jar if I cared to help myself.

Are you kidding?

How could I turn down a homemade chocolate cookie? Ok, not singular…cookie…

….more like 2….

…..3…

…….and maybe a fourth.

There was something just perfect about Mrs. Barr’s cookies. They were kind of cake like and not real greasy. I have tried and tried to replicate her recipe over the years.

I’ve cut back on the butter, used Crisco shortening instead of butter, and have used both butter and shortening together.

More flour – less flour.

More white sugar over the brown sugar.

Less baking soda and more baking soda.

Still….no luck.

What was it that she did to make them so perfect?

Should I use 3 eggs instead of 2?

This afternoon I tried to make the perfect chocolate chip cookie – again.

Nope……these are NOT like Mrs. Barr’s!

Don’t get me wrong, these are good, but just NOT good enough. At least not like I remember the very best use to be.

I try NOT to bake because I have an impeccable sweet tooth – no, make that plural – a whole mouth full of them!

It is good to know that semi-sweet chocolate morsels are a natural source of antioxidants and they don’t have any fatty acids!!!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

For Mother’s Day, my dear big sister/friend, Miss Jean, had our family over for a beautiful brunch. We shared a delightful day with her sweet family and dined on French toast, cream cheese and berry tarts, fresh strawberries, bacon and these hash browns. I had never made this before and was pleased with how they turned out. Of course, I had to adjust the recipe – cause that is just how I do things! Crank it up a notch – and why not!!??

So don the apron and give this a whirl! I think you will agree with me that it is DEEEEEEEEE-Lish!

**optional: I added a half cup of low-fat sour cream and used garlic salt instead of regular salt. You may want to give it a little kick and heat by adding a few dashes of a hot pepper sauce or some diced Ortega chilies.

Use Pam or a non-stick cooking spray and coat the inside of a 13” x 9” x 2” casserole dish.

In a large mixing bowl combine soup, cheese, butter, onion, salt, and pepper.

Gently fold the potatoes into the above mixture and pour into prepared pan. (I did not defrost the potatoes).

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes, until heated through and top is browned. **I ended up baking mine for 1 hour – just until the top was nice and golden brown.

**optional: The last ten minutes of baking, I sprinkle the top with 1/4 cup of the grated Colby cheese.

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Today is a very special day for Nancy and Lynn! Not only are they getting to meet for the first time, but Lynn is delivering Nancy’s precious Wheaten Scottie puppy, Miss Becky, to her.

Isn’t she just adorable? She looks a lot like our Fiona when she was a puppy!

Lynn and her husband, Gary, are Scottie breeders. Their last bunch of Scotties were ALL Wheatens! All 8 of them!!

Nancy has a black Scottie, Mr. Gus, who is the boss of their house. Well, not for long now!!! Mr. Gus, you are now going to have a little female to give you a run for your dog money!

Congrats to all! Enjoy your very special day!

May you be blessed with sweet puppy breath kisses, tail wags and lots of hugs! We love you and would be there if we could to celebrate the day!!

Remember me posting about making the quilt for a special little girl?

That little girl is Miss Becky. I hope that plenty of doggy naps will be taken on your little quilt. I wrote her name on it, too - not that she can read, or anything like that.....but you know, Scotties are pretty stinkin' smart!

Nancy blessed me with the gift of being Becky’s God Mother and even named her after me. I am honored, to say the very least. Thank you, Nancy, for your love.

Nancy made a tiny little pink chenille blanket for Fiona and sent it to her when we brought her home. Fee sleeps on her blanket each night and expects me to lay it down on the bed for her.

Lastly, I would like to share the above quilt with you. A very sweet friend, Elsie, (who happens to be a blog reader to so many of you!!) made this out of vintage sheets. She was inspired by Sara’s (Anyone Can Quilt) quilt and made one for herself. Isn’t it wonderful? I love those sweet prints!! Awesome job, dear Elsie!!!

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Awhile back I purchased some vintage sheets – some to sell as fat quarters and others to use for a few projects. I noticed in the upper corner of two sheets that a name and number were written in permanent marker. Georgia 302. Who is Georgia 302?

My only thought is that the pretty floral sheets belonged to a sweet elderly lady, named Georgia, who occupied room 302. Was the room in a convalescent hospital or in an assisted care living facility? Who was Georgia? Was she a petite little lady with curly gray hair? Did she have family who came to visit her? Was she a grandmother? What was her story? Did she love flowers? I do believe so because the sheets are as dainty and sweet as can be.

Georgia, sweet Georgia…..

your sheets are delicate and sweet. Thank you…..

To have these make me smile. I am honored.

Some of Georgia’s sheets were used for a little quilt that I made. This is a gift for a very special little girl….

…who I will share about soon.

This is my first time stippling (machine quilting) and I kind of got carried away – it was soooooooooooooooo much fun!!! The next quilt will be much larger! I am so looking forward to making another. Or….maybe even a tote bag!

I thank Sara over at Anyone Can Quilt blog for being an inspiration to make a quilt from vintage bed sheets.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

Families emerge from the walls of their home and work in their yards. Bags of soil stacked high and six-pack perennials lined up on the sidewalk like little soldiers ready to go to work.

Lawnmowers hum in the distance. Children ride their bikes and play games in the street. Neighbors visit over the hedges - often leaning on a shovel or rake as they take a break to chat.

Days like this remind me of trips to the park with my family when I was a kid. Homemade ice-cream was made by the old hand cranked ice cream makers. We would each take turns at giving the old crank a turn and add the white crystal-like rock salt to the top. Anticipation was high as we patiently waited for the lid to be removed to reveal the ice cold creamy goodness that was nestled inside the iron drum. Oh how sweet it tasted, too!

A game of croquet was set up to play on the lawn – the adults vs. the kids. Now I cannot tell you who always won, but I think the adults were a bit more competitive than us kids. We mostly enjoyed swinging on the swing set, rolling down the grassy hills and trying to find bugs and critters down at the river’s edge.

Spring reminds me of the old sprinklers that my mom and dad used to water the lawn and flower beds. There were several kinds, some walked on the lawn and some sat stationary at the edge of my mom’s beautifully appointed flower beds. I can remember the ratcheting sound of the sprinkler playing like a small repetitive instrument…

…as it distributed water from its tiny metal body. If the day was really hot, my parents would let us run through the sprinklers. The coolness of the water was so refreshing. We would laugh, chase each other around and make up little games as we entertained ourselves for an entire afternoon.

Memories of days gone by. Those were the days – easy, relaxing and simple.

Friday, May 14, 2010

A lovely gift was given to me for Mother’s Day! My dear friend – no, more like big sister – Miss Jean presented me this adorable little painting that she had made specifically for me. Do you recognize the sweet pair on the bench? It is none other than Mr. Duhgall Piper and Miss Fiona Jordyn. **gasp!** Look at that little red roofed cottage, the yellow butterflies, shamrocks and the mail box!!!! I believe my Scotties are dressed in their Sunday finery, too!

Did I cry when I opened it?

Why yes, yes I did!

I will have you know that Jean has had this up her sleeve for two months and not a hint was given that she was up to no good! *snickers*

She is a good keeper of secrets!!

Do any of you recognize the artwork? I know that many of you do as it is that of the creative genius, Diane Duda.

A treasure for a lifetime!! Duhgall and Fiona love it, too. Of course, they had to sniff it and check it out. They gave their lick of approval.

This beautiful bouquet of tulips were left on my front steps on Mother’s Day. We had come home from having brunch at Jean and Mr. In The Garden’s home and was surprised to see this little bundle sitting there. No card and no idea where they came from.

Lovely buttery yellow tulips…..who brought you here?

Thank you……………whoever you are………..

Many of you were on my mind on Mother’s Day. I just want you to know that many of us are walking the same walk and my heart is with each of you. You know who you are……just know that I love you and we are breathing now for our children. Our babies….always and forever our babies they will be.

~~~~~~

The weekend is here! This week sure flew right on by for me. Did it for you, too?

I’ll share the guest room transformation with y’all soon.

Till the next post, be sweet and be blessed!

xoxo

....Post script.....Oh dear.....I am so blind without my glasses and deleted 12 sweet comments tonight. I am so sorry girls! Know I love each of you and thank you for your prayers sent my way last Sunday! LeAnn, Becky, Liz, Nancy, Denise....just to name a few.....love you!!